Potential copyright infringement or a case of inspirational synchronicity?
ADVERTISEMENTIt all started with a bench plaque in Royal York Crescent in Clifton, Bristol, UK.
There, a sardonic bench tribute was paid to a cheating husband ‘Roger’, with an engraving that reads:
“For My Love
06.09.69 - 25.12.23
Husband, Father, Adulterer
Yes, Roger, I Knew”
Delightful. Simply delightful.
The mysterious plaque caused much merriment, but has also led several to question its authenticity, or if it could be the work of famed and elusive street artist Banksy – who is originally from Bristol.
The birth date inscribed is 6/9/69, with the death date is 25/12/23 - which has raised some eyebrows.
Jill Mansell, a local novelist, shared on X: “Can’t stop thinking about this plaque which has appeared on a bench on Royal York Crescent in Clifton. My best guess is that the other person lives close by.”
She continued: “Just had a thought - maybe Roger’s still alive and the dates refer to the length of the marriage. Maybe he walked out on her on Christmas day. (God, I’m brilliant. I should be a writer).”
One X user replied: “This is the most Clifton revenge, isn’t it? So elegant and refined, but also BRUTAL. The rumour is it’s a Banksy, but I prefer to think there are other Bristolians who can drop such devastating, hell-hath-no-fury satire.”
Further evidence for amateur sleuths comes in the shape of one of Banksy’s murals, "Well Hung Lover", which depicts an adulterous naked man hanging from a window.
However, the plot thickens.
Another artist has now suggested they are the victim of a rip-off.
London-based artist The Misfortuneteller said they created a near-identical plaque in March 2020 after wandering around New York’s Central Park.
“Plaques are fine but they’re not really that truthful,” he said. “I wanted to do honest memorial plaques. Bittersweet ones.”
The Misfortuneteller, surprised by the attention directed at this plaque, which they claim is their original design, said: “It’s not Banksy’s; it’s fucking mine.”
ADVERTISEMENTWriting on Instagram, he continued: “So apparently some utter, utter twat in Bristol has stolen one of my plaques ideas and put it on a bench. If anyone knows someone at the Guardian (and the Daily Mail, who’ve also featured it), can you please set the record straight. The audacity.”
A cause for contemplation on how copyright infringement is hard to enforce, especially when artworks go viral online?
Or a case of cryptomnesia, an implicit memory phenomenon in which people mistakenly believe that an idea is a product of their own creation when, in fact, they have encountered it previously and then forgotten?
You be the judge. They are very similar...
